Bulletin Board Service

Business At A Glance

Startup Costs: Under $2,000

Home Based: Can be operated from home.

Part Time: Can be operated part-time.

Franchises Available? No

Online Operation? No

Business Overview

Take flier delivery to the next level bystarting a community bulletin board service. The concept is verystraightforward. In exchange for a flat monthly fee, you postpromotional fliers for retailers, professionals, and service providerson bulletin boards throughout the local trading area.

Communitybulletin boards are typically found in supermarkets, schools,laundries, libraries, gas stations, community centers and fitnessclubs. Most, however, have a policy of removing fliers after a week sothat boards do not get overcrowded, and to allow space for new fliersto be posted.

Even though most small business owners realize thatposting fliers on community bulletin boards is a fast, frugal andeffective way to advertise their products and services, most miss outon the opportunity because they do not have the time to drive aroundtown posting them. Like hand-delivering fliers to homes and businesses,this service can also be very profitable because you have the potentialto post fliers for more than one client at a time.

Charging clients $20(not including the cost of the fliers) per week to post fliers on 50bulletin boards may not be worthwhile, but a mere 50 clients will earnyou $52,000 a year. And, at 40 cents per flier posted, with thepotential for thousands of people stopping to read it, you will findlittle resistance in selling this service to small business owners.

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Seminar Promoter

Business At A Glance

Startup Costs: $2,000 – $10,000

Home Based: Can be operated from home.

Part Time: Can be operated part-time.

Online Operation? Yes

Business Overview

If you delight in the showmanship of arranging events and you like theenergy and inspiration of a fine seminar, then this is the business foryou. As a seminar promoter, you’ll locate talent–speakers withsomething interesting and exciting to impart–then line up attendeesand make all the arrangements to provide your guests with a memorableexperience.

People who enjoy your first seminar will come back formore. In addition to the fees you earn from the seminar itself, you canmake additional tidy sums by selling audiotapes or videotapes of eachprogram. You’ll need the nose to sniff out terrific speakers, peoplewho can amuse, inspire and teach others and infuse the program with ahealthy positive energy. You’ll also need sales and marketing skillsand the ability to plan and organize events.

Previous experience inevent-planning jobs is a big help but not an absolute necessity. Ifyou’ve produced community theater shows or charity fund-raisers, you’vegot what it takes. You’ll also need good writing skills to deviseintriguing brochures and sales materials.

The Market

Your customers will be the people who attend your seminars.

The bestway to attract them is to come up with a niche, a range of topics bothunique and trendy in your area, and fill it. Another good way to startis by hosting seminars in a field or hobby you already know; you’llknow just what others in your interest group will want to learn. Starta direct-mail campaign. Send brochures describing your seminars tolists of prospects. You can purchase these from a list broker, or youmay already have access to mailing lists of people in interestedorganizations or associations.

Place ads in local publications.

Needed Equipment

You’ll need a computer with a laser printer, a color printer, ascanner, the usual office software, database software to maintainmailing lists of attendees, and a desktop publishing program fordesigning brochures and fliers.

Small-Business Advertising Agency

Business At A Glance

Startup Costs: $10,000 – $50,000

Home Based: Can be operated from home.

Part Time: Can be operated part-time.

Online Operation? No

Business Overview

Put your advertising and marketing skillsand experience to good use by starting an advertising agency focused onassisting small business owners to create knockout advertisingcampaigns that get the results they want and need from their tightadvertising budgets.

Many advertising agencies concentrate on bigcorporations with massive advertising budgets, leaving small businessowners to figure out how to best advertise their products and services.Advertising is costly, and small business owners cannot waste money onadvertising that does not hit the target and get results.

Creatingcost-effective advertising campaigns is one of the toughest challengesthat most small business owners face. Advertising is anall-encompassing task that requires experience and creative skills todetermine what type of advertising and message will work best for whatis being sold. Confusing the matter even more is that small businessowners are bombarded daily by advertising salespeople, each with the’greatest offer.’

Capitalizing on your advertising, marketing or publicrelations experience, you can create specialized advertising campaignsfor small business clients that will directly reach their targetmarket, stay within their budget and get the results they want.

Transit Advertising

Business At A Glance

Startup Costs: $10,000 – $50,000

Part Time: Can be operated part-time

Online Operation? No

Business Overview

Like many advertising service contracts,operating and marketing a transit advertising program is generallyawarded by the transit commission or agency that operates the transitservice on a tendered basis.

Typically, the tenders renew every fewyears and the decision to award the contract to one particular serviceprovider is made on the basis of reliability, revenue generation andperformance record.

This type of advertising service contract can beextremely difficult to acquire. However, for the successful biddingcontractor the financial rewards can be outstanding as transitadvertising is some of the most sought-after advertising media bycompanies, agencies and merchants.